Genetics professor Dr. Jan Vijg explains how DNA damage causes aging and why human lifespan may be limited to 115 years. Learn about the 100,000 DNA hits your cells take daily, breakthrough research on the DREAM gene complex that could slow mutation accumulation, and whether we can extend maximum lifespan.

In this conversation, Dr. Jan Vijg, Professor and Chair of Genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, explains how genome instability drives the aging process. We explore how your cells sustain 100,000 DNA lesions daily, the difference between DNA damage and somatic mutations, and why mutations accumulate exponentially with age.

Dr. Vijg discusses his controversial 2016 Nature paper arguing human maximum lifespan is capped at 115 years, and why mean lifespan improvements don't translate to breaking this limit. He shares exciting new research on the DREAM gene complex - a potential master regulator that could enhance DNA repair across multiple pathways simultaneously.

Key topics include: how DNA repair systems decline with age, why long-lived species have better repair mechanisms, tissue-specific mutation rates, the role of SIRT6 and NAD in DNA repair, rare genetic variants in centenarians, and whether pharmacological interventions could slow aging at the cellular level.

🌐Links in this video

Dr Vijg's page at Albert Einstein College of Medicine https://einsteinmed.edu/faculty/11318/jan-vijg

Evidence for a limit to human lifespan https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27706136/

The DREAM complex links somatic mutation, lifespan, and disease https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.15.676396v1.full

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